Athens, Ga. – Retired Admiral Thad W. Allen, U.S. Coast Guard, will highlight the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs’ annual Getzen Lecture on Government Accountability. His lecture will be given on April 26 in the UGA Chapel at 3 p.m.The event is open to the public.
Allen served as the 23rd Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard from 2006-2010. In May 2010, during his tenure as the top officer, Allen was selected by President Barack Obama to serve as the National Incident Commander for the federal governments’ response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The worst oil disaster in U.S. history, Allen was charged with oversight efforts to cease the flow of oil and mitigate the effects of the spill. He held that position concurrently while finishing his tenure as the commandant of the Coast Guard.
While serving as the Coast Guard’s chief of staff, Allen was the principal federal official overseeing the response to Hurricane Katrina and recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region. Holding many command posts throughout his Coast Guard career, Allen commanded the Coast Guard’s Atlantic forces in its response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
“Admiral Allen has been the federal government’s go-to-guy in a number of critical national and international incidents. It will be great to have his perspective ongovernmentaccountability inthese kinds of emergency situations,” said Thomas P. Lauth, Dean of the School of Public and International Affairs.
Allen officially retired from active-duty service on June 30, 2010, after 39 years of service.He now serves as a senior fellow at Rand Corporation.
The lecture is co-hosted by SPIA and the department of public administration and policy.